The present invention concerns the field of computer telephony integration (CTI). Specifically, the invention provides an automated Take Back and Transfer (TBX) system and method that facilitates the transfer of connected parties between call center agents located at different call centers.
Many businesses and customer service organizations utilize telephone call centers to place outbound telephone calls and receive inbound telephone calls to and from customers or potential customers, for example, for credit collection or telemarketing. Computer telephony integration (CTI) has allowed telephone call centers to more efficiently handle both outbound telephone calls and inbound telephone calls. These computerized telephony systems typically include an automated dialer that automatically places outbound telephone calls and an automatic call distributor (ACD) that handles large volumes of inbound telephone calls. These, and other components of the telephony system, are controlled by a telephone call center management system. One example of a system and method for integrating outbound and inbound telephone calls is disclosed in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,179 issued Dec. 17, 1996, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
Telephone call centers also include a number of audio head sets and data terminals used by agents or operators to communicate with the called parties and calling parties. Using the data terminal, such as a PC, an agent can view and/or enter call record data pertaining to the party (e.g., the customer or potential customer) and the transaction being made. The telephone call center management system typically controls the allocation of the agents to the inbound and/or outbound telephone calls and the management of the data presented to the agents and entered by the agents. The processing of a series of telephone calls (inbound or outbound) in a telephone call center is often referred to as a call campaign.
To initiate an outbound call campaign, the telephone call center management system generates a predefined, sorted customer call list having a number of customer call records (CCRs) including, for example, a telephone number to be called, a name, address, account number, and other information pertaining to the customer and the transaction. The call records pertaining to an outbound call campaign are typically downloaded from a call record source, such as a host computer, and are organized, e.g., according to the calling time, into the call lists. The telephony system reads a call record from the predefined call lists, displays the information from that call record on a display at a terminal of an available agent, and dials the telephone number, either automatically or at the request of the agent. The system monitors the call and if an answer is detected, the called party is connected to the agent. The agent can then enter additional information and the call record in the call list will be updated accordingly upon completion of the outbound telephone call.
Outbound telephone calls are typically grouped according to a particular application. One example of an outbound telephone call campaign is in the field of telemarketing where the agents or telemarketing service representatives (TSRs) market products and/or services to the called party and take orders for the products and/or services. In this example, the telephone calls may be grouped according to the type of product or service that is being marketed.
Typically, for every outbound call application there is also an inbound call application. Customers or potential customers that have been called or are scheduled to be called in the outbound call campaign often place an inbound telephone call pertaining to that application. For example, a customer may be calling regarding an order placed during an outbound call made earlier in the day, or a potential customer may be calling back to place an order.
For an inbound telephone call campaign, the ACD or other similar device receives the inbound telephone calls and distributes the inbound telephone calls to the appropriate available agent. Typically, the call center management system determines the appropriate agent(s) and allocates the agent accordingly. Upon requesting information from the calling party, such as a name, address, telephone number, or account number, the agent can obtain additional information pertaining to the calling party, if any exists, from the host computer. Alternatively, a Voice Response Unit (VRU) can be used to request the information from the calling party and automatically transfer any additional information from the host computer to the agent. Such a system is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,981 issued Nov. 17, 1992, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
Once a call (either an inbound or an outbound call) is connected to a particular agent and interactive communications are conducted between the call center agent and the called or calling party (hereinafter the connected party), the agent may determine that an agent from a different call center is better suited to assist the connected party. In the past, when an agent determined that a different agent, from a different call center, would be better suited to handling a matter, the agent would need to place the call on hold, access a separate trunk line and, using that trunk, contact an agent at a remote site. If the remote agent is able to assist the connected party, then the agent at the first call center must connect the call to the remote agent. As can be seen, this process requires the use of two trunks associated with the first call center and another trunk associated with the second call center. Tying up this amount of trunk lines adversely affects the efficiency of call centers.
Recently, telephone companies have provided call centers with an enhanced feature, known as take back and transfer (TBX) . TBX provides a call center with the means of transferring a call to a remote call center without tying up trunk lines in both call centers. TBX is implemented by sending DTMF tones on an active call. These tones are made up of a combination of an initialization tone sequence followed by digit tones that define the transfer destination. The digit tones are not the actual phone number that would be dialed to make a call. Rather, the transfer digits are codes, which are set up by the telephone company central office (CO) to define the trunk/device of a desired destination. Accordingly, TBX can not be used to transfer a call to an arbitrary device.
A prior art TBX event is shown in FIGS. 1A-1D. In FIG. 1A a connected party 10 is connected to a call center agent at a first call center 20 via a telephone central office 30. The call connection includes a connected party connection 12, which connects the connected party and the CO and a first call center connection 14, which connects the CO and the first call center agent 20. Once connected, the connected party 10 and first call center agent 20 can interact.
During the call, if the first call center agent 20 determines that an agent at a remote call center 40 (FIG. 1B) may be better equipped to handle the needs of the connected party 10, the first call center agent 20 would send the TBX tones to the CO 30, followed by the destination digit tones that would identify the desired destination agent 40. This would cause the CO 30 to suspend the connected party connection 12xe2x80x2. However, the suspended connected party connection 12xe2x80x2 is maintained to allow the connected party 10 to be either reconnected to the first call center agent 20 or to the second call center agent 40.
While the connected party connection 12xe2x80x2 is suspended at the CO, the first call center agent 20 is connected to the second call center agent via the first call center agent connection 14, which connects the first call center agent to the CO 30, and a second call center agent connection 16, which connects the CO 30 to the second call center agent 40. At this point in the process, a single trunk line to the first call center is utilized and a single trunk line to the second call center is utilized, thus eliminating the use of a second trunk line associated with the first call center.
As shown in FIG. 1C, if the first call center agent 20 determines that the second call center agent 40 is in fact the proper agent to handle the suspended call, then, the first call center agent can initiate the connection of the connected party connection 12 with the established second call center connection 16 by simply hanging up his or her connection to the second call center agent. In this manner the first call center connection is dropped and now the only connection established is between the connected party 10 and the second call center agent 40 using the connected party connection 12 and the second call center connection 16. The first call center connection 14 is terminated. In this manner, the first call center no longer needs to tie up any trunk lines to facilitate the connection. Accordingly, a total of two trunk lines that would otherwise be required to make the connection are eliminated.
On the other hand, if the interaction between the first call center agent 20 and the second call center agent 40 (FIG. 1B) results in a determination that the second call center agent 40 is not the proper agent to assist the connected party 10, then, as shown in FIG. 1D, the first call center agent can reestablish the his/her connection to the connected party via the connected party connection 12 and the first call center connection 14. This is accomplished by sending an abort DTMF tone sequence to the CO. The abort DTMF tone sequence which drops the connection between the CO 30 and the second call center agent 40 and reconnects the connected party to the first call center agent.
In any event, the prior art TBX methods require a call center agent to know the TBX tones that must first be sent to the CO in order to initiate a TBX event. He/she is then required to look up a transfer code for the remote agent and transfer the call by sending a TBX tone sequence to the telephone company central office (CO), followed by the transfer code for the proper agent. The look up process is generally performed by physically looking at a printed list and finding the appropriate transfer code.
Overall, the current state of the art involves very manual processes, which are time consuming and prone to operator error. For example, an agent must memorize TBX setup and abort code sequences and must read arbitrary digits from a printed list and enter them correctly on a telephone keypad.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method that can automate Take Back and Transfer (TBX) events. Such a system should eliminate as much manual operator action as possible to reduce or eliminate the possibility of operator errors.
The disclosed invention provides an automated take back and transfer (TBX) telephone call routing system for interfacing a party connected to a first call center agent located at a first call center with at least a second call center agent located at a second call center, wherein the second call center is remotely located from the first call center.
The system includes a transfer call interface, which is displayed on an agent display associated with the first call center agent. The transfer call interface is configured to accept a remote agent identifier, which, in the preferred embodiment is the name of a remote agent or the name of a group of remote agents.
The system also includes a database that includes a plurality of call center agent data records. Each call center agent data record includes a destination identifier field, where a remote agent name or group name is entered, and a destination address field, where a dial string is entered. The dial string includes a plurality of characters, which include a special character identifying the dial string as a TBX code and a destination address code. The system also includes a tone generator for generating a DTMF tone sequence corresponding to the TBX code and destination address code, which is transmitted to a telephone company central office (CO) to alert the CO that TBX is being used and the destination of the transfer.
Also disclosed is an automated method of implementing telephone call take back and transfer (TBX) events. The automated method facilitates the routing of a telephone call that has been established between a connected party and a first call center agent located at a first call center to at least a second call center agent located at a second call center, wherein the second call center is remotely located from said first call center. The method includes the following steps.
First, TBX codes, including a TBX initialization code and a TBX abort code are defined, using a telephony setup dialog displayed on an administrator display associated with the first call center. Then, a plurality of call center agent data records are stored in an agent database. Each call center agent data record includes a destination name field and a destination address field. Each destination address field includes a dial string that includes a plurality of characters. One of the characters is a special character identifying the dial string as a TBX code.
The agent destination names are displayed on an agent display associated with the first call center agent. The first call center agent then selects a second call center agent to route the connected call to by selecting one of the destination agent names displayed on the first call center agent display.
The dial string associated with the selected second call center agent is then retrieved from the database and the dial sting is identified as a TBX dial string by identifying the special character included in the plurality of characters. Next, the special character is stripped from the dial string and is replaced with the TBX initialization code. A concatenated dial string, which includes the TBX initialization code, is then sent to a telephone company central office (CO) through which said connected party is connected to said first call center agent.
Upon receipt of the dial string including the TBX initialization code, the CO suspends the connected party connection at the CO and connects the first call center agent with the second call center agent via the CO. Finally, a two-button transfer action dialog box, including complete and abort buttons, is displayed on the first call center agent""s display. The first call center agent may select one of the buttons in response to information received by the first call center agent during the first call center agent/second call center agent telephone connection.